One of the mayor problems of M2M (Machine to Machine) devices (e.g. cars, signs, meters, vending machines) is that when they are being manufactured, they are often empowered with SIMs (Subscriber Identity Module) or UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) whose credentials belong to MNOs (Mobile network operator) of the countries where they have been built or with whom their manufacturers have agreements and they do not have to match to the MNO of the countries where they are going to be marketed. Besides, during the manufacturing process, the devices are normally sealed therefore replacing SIMs afterwards is extremely difficult. When devices are finally activated by an end customer, the SIM cards uses the wrong credentials to connect to the network of a different operator in Roaming making that the cost per use will be quite higher than expected. And besides it might have regulatory issues, since the legislation of some countries does not allow M2M devices to connect in Roaming permanently.
People with a mobile device (or with M2M devices such as e-books) when they travel abroad can experience the same problem. When these travellers try to use the device with a SIM of an operator without service in the destination country, they must register to the network in Roaming mode, and pay for it quite a cost higher than the local tariffs.
One of the problems that we want to solve with this invention is how to avoid the roaming charges without having to change the SIM than the device are using. One solution to this problem is known as IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) SWAP. The IMSI SWAP process allows to change remotely, via OTA (over to air programming), the MNO's credentials (IMSI, MSISDN (Mobile Station Integrated Services Digital Network), etc.), and the authentication Key into a roaming SIM, and enabling the SIM is registered to the net as if it were a local subscription [as described in “Flexible Over-the-Air Personalization of M2M SIMs” by Telefonica and Giesecke & Devrient Team up on, Press Release, Nov. 14, 2011]. However, the solution for the SWAP in “Flexible Over-the-Air Personalization of M2M SIMs” by Telefonica and Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) does not consider the option to change the MNO credentials that are not in possession of another SIM provider different from G&D, or when management platform connectivity used by the MNO in destination is different from the MNO Jasper Wireless.
On the other hand, the growth in the number of M2M devices in the coming years is expected to be exponential and in the M2M market, and an efficient use of the allocation of resources MSISDN/IMSI must be made so that they can be used for SWAP. It should be avoided that multiple IMSIs or MSISDN will be provisioned in SIMs or systems to be used just in case, due to this prevents they could be used for other purposes in the meantime.
And actually, in the M2M world (especially in the automotive sector), the tendency is try to reach global connectivity solutions, where a certain vendor hires the connectivity in a region to a MNO globally regardless of where the device is going to be marketed. The MNO who wins the contract must reach agreements with other MNOs to provide connectivity in those countries where he doesn't have scope. Since the solution must be global, the SIM empowered into devices must be always manufactured by the same SIMs' provider and with a predefined MNO credentials as they will always be manufactured in a single place. However, the credentials of the SIM must be changed in the destination so that any Roaming expenses will not be charged.
The problem to reach a global solution (in both M2M and mobile devices) is that each MNO manages connectivity and the network resources differently (including the management and efficient allocation of IMSI and MSISDNs) and each MNO uses its own platform (with its own repositories), and they trust on different SIM providers. To provide a global connectivity solution, the MNO platforms must be integrated to enable credentials swapping and to monitor the SIM usage and its consumption and to invoice the customer after the swapping. Moreover, since the authentication keys used by the SIM to register in the net, are an important part of the data sent to the SIM during the SWAP, to provide a global solution, the platform that sends data to the SIM during the SWAP, must get not only the new IMSI but also the MNO credentials from the SIM provider on whom the MNO relies and sends all of them to the SIM safely.
There are few options available to try to reduce the Roaming surcharges in M2M devices or travellers. But none of them resolve the problem of how offer a global connectivity solution:                One option for a user when he travels abroad is to purchase a plurality of additional pre-pay SIMs, one for each territory, which the user visits. The user is able to replace the original SIM with an appropriate SIM for the territory being visited. In this way, users can make and receive calls or use data services without incurring Roaming surcharges. This option is not valid for M2M devices (UICC in M2M devices is not easily accessible or replaceable, since many M2M devices are remotely located, often hermetically sealed). And for users this solution has many disadvantages (users must purchase and carry a plurality of different SIM cards. Besides they must ensure that there is sufficient credit in each SIM card. Finally when the Subscriber swaps SIM his/her mobile number changes this means they are no longer reachable on his/her normally used number).        Another attempts in the prior art to address the problem of Roaming charges is the Multi-IMSI SIMs that offer the capability of being pre-programmed with a plurality of mobile subscriber data sets (which each comprise an IMSI and other network-related data). These SIMS have processing capability and an algorithm to present the correct set of data to the phone based on the location of that phone. This allows the phone to present as a ‘local’ subscriber to the network in question. Many fixed format Dual and Multiple IMSI SIM systems have been sold by companies such as VeriSign and Gemalto. In such systems, a piece of software runs in the SIM or on the handset or a separate electronic module and makes decisions as to which IMSI to use given the location and available networks. Such systems (sometimes called SmartSIMs) are however typically relatively inflexible to changes in network availability over time (for example a SIM is usually pre-programmed with fixed set of IMSIs, new SIMs need to be issued if additional IMSIs become available—likewise for deletion—). Other problem is SIM does not have enough knowledge of the network geography and current commercial status to choose the best network or IMSI to use. Finally, in this solution, IMSIs can not be reused, eg, if Users never used one or more IMSIs from the prefixed set, this IMSI would never be available to be used by other one, and since range of IMSIS very limited this situation could cause problems due to IMSIs misusing.        An improved system has been disclosed in WO 2013/041849 A1, which discloses an IMSI Broker adapted to providing the SIM of a mobile handset with new identities as required, wherein each identity comprises an IMSI. The IMSI broker acts as a central server which changes the new identity used by the subscriber based on its current location. The change is made when a notification is received informing that the current location of the subscriber has changed. The new identity is retrieved from a predefined list of IMSIs stored in the pool. The most suitable item from the list is chosen according to a set of predefined rules, such as the user preferences, their location or their cost. The IMSI pool contains a set of IMSIs from different MNOs that operates in different countries. The new identity and rules for choosing the best IMSI is communicated to the device using OTA commands. The SIM might also have a preloaded list of IMSIs. The SIM can choose to use a certain IMSI from the list of pre-charged IMSIs by triggering of a rule. The mobile device also has a pre-set number of identities within the SIM. In this case, to choose a new identity, it will be selected from the set of ones that are pre-loaded into SIM. The election will depend on parameters such as the terminal type, and other own terminal parameters (such as the operating system, IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), etc.), besides of SIM location. If a new identity that suits the specific characteristics of the terminal cannot be chosen, then the IMSI Broker will select the new identity from a database or pool following a set of rules or criteria. Then the new identity is sent to the SIM via OTA. The new identity will always choose between the one that provide the better user conditions. Although the described IMSI Broker solves the problem of avoiding the roaming cost, enabling to change the IMSI used by the SIM from another one that belongs to the MNO where the SIM is located, it does not allow the provision of a global connectivity solution, since the system disclosed in WO 2013/041849 A1 suffers from a series of problems such as:        a) Although the described IMSI Broker solves the problem of having IMSIs from different available for SWAP with the use of IMSIs list or a pool, WO 2013/041849 A1 does not teach when an IMSI is replaced, or whether the IMSI is returned to the pool immediately to be reused or whether it remains blocked and can no longer be used. Neither WO 2013/041849 A1 describes how control the time of the returning to the pool for the billing purposes. In the case that the SIM does not keep using the IMSI after the change of identity, and the IMSI is not returned to the pool, it will remain locked out and may not be used by another SIM, so that resources will be underused. If the IMSI is returned to the pool or the list immediately, it could be reused almost again immediately, which may cause faults in the billing to a customer and between MNOs (what a MNO has to pay another MNO in exchange by the usage of its resources network). For example, if the SIM uses the IMSIx and when it not keeps using it, it is returned to the pool. After a while, the IMSIx is assigned to SIM2. When the time of the billing comes, as charges for the use of a SIM that MNO get from their systems are retrieved with a certain delay (in the next months), it could happen that the consumptions made by the SIM1 would be billed to the SIM2.        b) Moreover, WO 2013/041849 A1 does not disclose how the pool is managed and how the MNOs load the IMSI on it, and how long the IMSIs remain on the pool. Having a list of IMSIs fixed for each MNO in a centralized pool is misusing of the IMSIs. The MNO belonging the IMSI should leave them blocked in the central pool to allow SWAP and they could not use them for other uses, such as allocate them to physical SIMs. That can cause that the IMSI will remain in the pool for a long time without being used for the SWAP either. This same problem happens if there is a set of IMSIs preloaded on the SIM. The most efficient method would be if there were an IMSI pool for each MNO and the pool were managed by themself by decided if they wanted to add a IMSI to the pool so that it would be available for the SWAP or to remove from the a pool so that it could be allocated to physical SIMs depending on the circumstances. This decision could be take basis on the SWAP forecasting expected.        c) Finally, WO 2013/041849 A1 does not consider that some of the most important data that SIM needs to be registered in a network successfully is the authentication key of the MNO (Subscriber Authentication Key, Ki). The key Ki must be sent in the SIM during the SWAP, besides the IMSI. Actually, the authentication keys are not provided to single platform, but they are distributed between different SIM providers. Therefore to make possible to change the credentials in a SIM, the platform that sends the data to the SIM for SWAP, must obtain information on the new IMSI plus it must obtain the data of the MNO credentials from the corresponding SIM provider as well. The problem of how to obtain and exchange credentials between SIM providers and the SIM is a complex problem since it requires that the exchange will be performed in highly secure manner.        
The problem of how to exchange credentials for the SWAP between SIM providers and SIM can be solved by the GSMA architecture, shown in FIG. 1. The GSMA (Global System for Mobile Association) vision is the capability to remotely provision mobile operator credentials onto a SIM. The GSMA architecture is a common, secure, interoperable architecture that enable remote over the air provisioning/re-provisioning of network operator credentials and management of the new SIM, whilst retaining the existing security levels provided by the traditional SIM. But this architecture is more focused on that aspect, than in others needed to provide a global connectivity solution, such as the ones to allow to control when the interchange of credentials is needed and between which actors, or other such as to allow to manage IMSIs used for SWAP efficiently, or how makes the billing or how to get the consumption of SIMs after SWAP.
On the other hand, the work on M2M applications has given rise to the possibility of having a UICC that is embedded in a communication device in such a way that the UICC is not easily accessible or replaceable (many M2M devices are remotely located, often hermetically sealed, their after sale location is not known during production). The ability to change network subscriptions on such devices becomes problematic, thus necessitating new methods for securely and remotely provisioning access credentials on these Embedded UICCs (eUICC) and managing subscription changes from one MNO to another.
Therefore, current solutions allow the reduction of Roaming surcharges in M2M or mobile devices, but there is a need in the state of the art for a method and system to provide global connectivity to M2M devices or mobile devices manufactured by the same vendor and sold in different countries, regardless of the country where the device is going to be marketed or used, an that allow the end user to be billed according to local rates regardless of the user's place of residence and whether the MNO operates on such place or not.